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Denver Service Center Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
COVER PHOTO: Teepees were set up on Monument Hill at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado to commemorate the 150th anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history when Native Americans were brutally killed at Sand Creek on November 29, 1864. NPS photo by James Doyle.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
General Management Plan In fiscal year (FY) 2014, the Denver Service Center worked with Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and the Intermountain Regional Office to develop the park’s general management plan and environmental assessment. The plan is under public review and is expected to be complete in spring 2015. As part of the planning process, the planning team conducted extensive outreach with tribal members and members of the public who expressed interest in the history of the Sand Creek Massacre. In September 2014, members of the park staff and the planning team conducted outreach at three events in the Cheyenne/Arapaho tribal lands in Oklahoma. In response to public interest in the massacre sesquicentennial, the planning team also conducted numerous presentations on the national historic site and the planning process with the general public in a series of events in communities along Colorado’s Front Range in October and November 2014. In addition, the State of Colorado established the Governor’s Sand Creek Commemoration Commission. The commission worked with representatives of the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, and Southern Cheyenne / Southern Arapaho tribes, the National Park Service, History Colorado, and private partners to develop ways to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the massacre on November 29, 1864. In June 2014 the commission met at Sand Creek Massacre NHS to plan the logistics for the tribes’ annual Sand Creek Massacre Spiritual Healing Run. At the conclusion of the run in December, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper issued an apology on behalf of the state for the massacre and its devastating impact on the Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples.
New signage at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado was erected in spring 2014. NPS photo.
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Letter from the Denver Service Center Director The Denver Service Center is the central planning, design, and construction project office for the National Park Service. We provide park and community planning, design and construction project management, transportation planning, contracting services, and technical information management for the parks and regions in the national park system. Our office provides cradle-to-grave project management and delivery; from planning to construction, we focus on the distinctive needs of each park and project. As we work in every region of the Park Service, we remain dedicated to providing sustainable and fiscally sound products and services. We are committed to Secretary of the Interior Jewell’s Play, Learn, Serve, Work Initiative, and recognize how critical this is for our National Park Service Centennial Goal:  to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. The continued success of the Denver Service Center is based on a collaborative team approach to project execution while maintaining a strong focus on common goals and objectives. This report highlights some of our projects and accomplishments from FY 2014. It is a privilege to participate in the mission of the National Park Service to preserve our shared American heritage for future generations.
Sam Whittington
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Denver Service Center
03
2016 National Park Service Centennial
The DSC Planning Division celebrates the announcement of the new NPS Centennial logo with a group photo. NPS photo.
Denver Service Center Supports the National Park Service Centennial Initiative
The Denver Service Center is proud to support the National Park Service Centennial Initiative, a multiyear effort supporting the preservation of America’s natural, cultural, and historic treasures, investing wisely in the National Park System’s assets, expanding the use of parks for informal learning and recreation, engaging 600,000 volunteers, and enhancing the National Park Service’s ability to leverage partnerships to accomplish its mission. The goal of the National Park Service Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates. Introduced on NPS Founders Day in 2011, A Call to Action has been serving as the foundation for our 2016 Centennial Initiative preparations. This strategic document created guidance through 39 action items to prepare us for the next 100 years of stewardship and engagement. The Denver Service Center has been working on several Call to Action items to prepare for our next century of service. In FY 2014, the Denver Service Center participated in these items: Call to Action #1: Fill in the Blanks. This item calls for the National Park Service to submit a comprehensive national park system plan to Congress that delineates the ecological regions, cultural themes, and stories of diverse communities that are not currently protected and interpreted. This plan builds on the recommendations of the National Park System Advisory Board to initiate the first system plan since 1972. The Denver Service Center is leading the Steering Committee for this effort, has conducted an internal servicewide scoping effort, and is currently writing the draft plan. Call to Action #24: Invest Wisely. The Denver Service Center has been a leader in accessibility in an effort to connect all people to parks. The Service Center created and, at regional request, is implementing accessibility self-evaluation and transition plans. These plans are a practical approach to removing accessibility barriers by identifying and prioritizing key (core) visitor experiences and investing wisely in those areas.
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Denver Service Center
Call to Action #32: Play It safe. The Denver Service Center has improved its construction management safety processes. This new state-of-art safety program follows the principles of NPS Operational Leadership. Call to Action #34: Team Buyin’. As the largest contracting office in the National Park Service, the Denver Service Center strives to improve the government standard for teamwork between contracting and its customers. The Service Center uses an interdisciplinary team approach for all contracting actions. Foundation Documents. The Denver Service Center is committed to the success of the Director’s Initiative to complete foundation documents for all national park system units by the Centennial, and in its third year, the initiative is well underway. Due in large part to DSC’s program leadership, project management, organization, and production support and services, foundation documents have been the most successful NPSwide planning initiative in recent history. At the end of FY 2014, 131 foundation documents have been signed by regional directors; another 68 are in progress, with 144 new starts in FY 2015. 81 foundation documents were completed in FY 2014. Please see page 25 in this report for more information about Denver Service Center involvement with foundation documents. The Service Center is ready to assist with any Centennial-related construction activities, including NPS Centennial Challenge, climate change resiliency projects, deferred maintenance, transportation, and other signature projects or programs. Focusing on the future of the National Park Service and the public we serve through the Centennial Initiative honors the success of our past as we continue to protect and preserve for future generations.
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Contents
09 Contracting Services
6
Denver Service Center
29
23
13 Design and Construction
Planning
Transportation
35 Information Management
39
41 Budget and Financial Performance
44 2015 and Beyond
Contact Us
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Denver Service Center Hosts Visitors from Three International Agencies In fiscal year 2014, the Denver Service Center had the privilege to host several international visitors from land management agencies. In coordination with the NPS Office of International Affairs, the Denver Service Center hosted two representatives from the Government of the Hong Kong Specialist Administrative Region (HKSARG) Country Parks Division, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department in August. The team discussed best practices in park planning and visitor use management. In September 2014, the Denver Service Center hosted the superintendent from Thingvellir National Park in Iceland to discuss planning and design of a visitor center expansion, using DSC case studies as examples. Finally, in late September 2014, a representative from Parks Victoria in Australia who had an interest in project management and contracting visited the Service Center for several presentations on high profile DSC projects and best practices in contract management. The Denver Service Center is proud to provide international assistance in planning, design, and construction and learn from other countries as we continue to strive for excellence.
Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. Photo used courtesy of Thingvellir National Park.
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Denver Service Center
09
Contracting Services
Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Photo taken in North Carolina. Photo used courtesy of Brent McGuirt.
Contracting Services The primary mission of the Contracting Services Division is to provide business expertise through exemplary service and effective/efficient use of technology. The Contracting Services Division strives to be an organization of highly trained procurement professionals and active acquisition team members dedicated to delivering value-added, proactive, and innovative procurement services that consistently exceed customer expectations. The Contracting Services Division provides the full range of acquisition services to all DSC business lines, as well as various external customers both inside and outside the National Park Service. The division provides professional contracting services for design and construction, transportation, planning, and professional services. The Denver Service Center has 149 contracting officer representatives on staff, and 17 warranted contracting officers. The Contracting Services Division is a leader in strategic sourcing efforts, with numerous indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contracts available for use by other NPS offices, bureaus, and agencies. The division is the highest volume contracting office in the National Park Service, with an average of 580 contracts awarded yearly. In FY 2014, $229 million in construction and services was awarded from all funding sources, including $60 million in Hurricane Sandy Recovery projects. Table 1 shows the dollars awarded from all contract actions and all fund sources for FY 2011 through FY 2014. Figure 1 illustrates the number of contract actions handled by the division from FY 2011 through FY 2014. Transactions included design and construction services, purchase orders, and personnel support.
Table 1. Contract Dollars Awarded, from All Fund Sources, FY 2011–2014
A/E Services & Professional Services** Construction Simplified Acquisition Other
Totals (millions of dollars) **A/E
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
$34.31
$39.47
$40.69
$42.32
$175.22
$145.40
$125.33
$182.24
$3.83
$1.45
$2.40
$4.48
$30.29
$21.05
$0.00
$0.00
$243.65
$207.37
$168.42
$229.04
Architectural / Engineering firms
Figure 1. Number of Transactions by Year, FY 2011–2014 FY 2014
1,543
FY 2013
1,841
FY 2012
2,134
FY 2011
2,382 50
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Denver Service Center
0
10
00
15
00
20
00
National Park Service Small Business Contracting Program The Denver Service Center strongly supports the socioeconomic program goals of both the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. A full-time small business specialist assists project teams on the socioeconomic screening process by identifying qualified small, small disadvantaged, HUBZone, woman-owned, and veteran-owned firms. The small business specialist participated in more than 15 small business events throughout the year and serves on several executive boards promoting small business outreach and opportunity. In addition, the Denver Service Center coordinated and hosted two mini-trade fairs, one for small business and another for service disabled, veteran-owned firms. In FY 2014, the division awarded more than $91 million in contracts to small business and socioeconomic program concerns. The division’s small business goals and accomplishments for FY 2014 are shown in Figure 2. In many instances, a small business award is credited to more than one subcategory within the socioeconomic program.
Figure 2. Contract Actions by Dollar Amount, FY 2014 Small Business Contracting $50
$100
$91.8
Small Business
Small Disadvantaged Business Program
8(a) Program
HUBZone
Women Owned
Service Disabled Veteran
$130.8 $70.8 $11.4
$0.0
$48.5
$15.8 $6.8 $21.8 $11.4 $5.0 $6.8
Millions of Dollars Awarded Goal
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Denali National Park and Preserve
Replace Water and Sewage Systems The Denver Service Center is providing contracting services for a $7.9 million project to replace the water and sewage systems at the Denali National Park and Preserve headquarters building. All utilities are located in an underground utility structure called an utilidor. The project will bury the water and sewer lines with appropriate freeze protection and convert the heating from steam to propane. The Alaska Regional Office is providing project management on this project, which began in FY 2014, and then ceased due to winter weather. Work is expected to resume in May 2015 and be complete by September 2015.
Construction work, which began in FY 2014, will resume in May 2015 at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. NPS photo.
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Design and Construction
The Denver Service Center managed the architectural design and construction portions of the project to renovate the White House Visitor Center. This public-private partnership program was made possible by a generous donation from the White House Historical Association. Photo by the White House Historical Association.
Design and Construction The Design and Construction Division is responsible for the project management of line-item construction, park-funded projects, and partnership projects. The division provides project management in design, construction, and post-construction for new and existing facilities, historic structures, and a variety of infrastructure systems. The Design and Construction Division Technical Branch provides highquality assurance reviews and compliance oversight for divisional projects. In addition, the branch offers a wide range of design and construction support services to parks, regions, and program offices. The Design and Construction Division Technical Branch manages the DSC Workflows website (http://www.nps.gov/dscw/index.htm), which provides resources for architectural / engineering (A/E) firms, construction management firms, and construction contractors who work for the Denver Service Center.
In FY 2014, the DSC Design and Construction Division managed 123 projects worth almost $1.4 billion. Table 2 shows the program in both number of projects and gross dollars for FY 2011 through FY 2014. The Denver Service Center continues to support Hurricane Sandy Recovery projects, from project construction and completions in the first phase of recovery, to the design and construction efforts currently underway. Figure 3 shows the DSC Design and Construction program obligation rates for FY 2011 through FY 2014. Figure 4 depicts the line-item construction (LIC) program awards for FY 2011 through FY 2014. Table 2 shows the total DSC Design and Construction program FY 2011 through FY 2014. Figure 5 shows the A/E design costs associated with the DSC portion of the LIC program and park-funded projects for FY 2011 through FY 2014. Figure 6 represents the total DSC Design and Construction program. The DSC construction management costs associated with the LIC program for FY 2011 through FY 2014 are shown in figure 7. 14
Denver Service Center
Figure 3. DSC Design and Construction Program Obligation Rates, FY 2011–2014 78% 82%
67%
82%
74% 50%
67%
78%
Line-item Construction Entire Construction Program
FY 2011
FY 2013
FY 2012
FY 2014
Figure 4. Line-Item Construction Program Awards, FY 2011–2014 (in millions) 40
20
$37
FY 2014 FY 2013
FY 2012
FY 2011
$14
60
80
$10
$7 $40
$8
Carryover funds obligated
$73
$8
Current year funds obligated
Table 2. Design and Construction Program, FY 2011–2014 FY 2011 Project Title
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
Projects
Gross Dollars
Projects
Gross Dollars
Projects
Gross Dollars
Projects
Gross Dollars
110
$514,657,386
114
$909,084,103
95
$389,016,649
115
$831,274,242
Construction
62
$419,459,772
33
$237,859,771
25
$89,764,185
24
$95,447,673
Warranty
83
$324,399,715
61
$389,204,448
57
$387,510,635
40
$216,326,415
Miscellaneous
29
$64,335,977
11
$13,673,266
8
$28,326,736
21
$30,050,688
—
73
$221,855,225
81
$213,999,562
$1.55
258
$1.12
281
$1.4
Design
Sandy Hurricane Recovery
Total Program
—
284
$1.32
219
(billion)
Figure 5. A/E Design Costs, FY 2011–2014 (in millions)
(billion)
(billion)
Figure 7. DSC Construction Management Costs Line-Item Construction Program, FY 2011–2014 (in millions)
$50 $25
$8.57 $25.75
$22.64
$20.86
$18.78 $6
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
Figure 6. Total Program, FY 2011–2014 (in billions)
$1.0
(billion)
$1.32
$1.55
$1.12
$1.40
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
$7.0
$6
$4.1 $4
$3.98
$2
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Collections Preservation Center The Denver Service Center is co-managing the project to build a new facility at Great Smoky Mountains National Park that will preserve 418,000 artifacts and 1.3 million archival records documenting the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and four other NPS sites in East Tennessee. This project is a joint effort, with the Denver Service Center providing contract administration and the park providing on-site construction management. The $4.1 million project is made possible through public-private partnerships. Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountains Association generously donated $1.9 million for the construction of the facility. The facility will be located in Townsend, Tennessee, on land donated to the park from the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. The complex project requires upgraded features such as temperature and humidity controls to house artifacts, including prehistoric projectile points, logging-era equipment, vintage weapons, clothing, farm equipment and tools, and other everyday items belonging to people on the farmsteads of the Southern Appalachians, such as combs, butter churns, beds, looms, and spinning wheels. Construction on the project began in November 2014 with a ground breaking ceremony. The project is expected to be substantially complete in spring 2016.
National Park Service officials were joined by representatives from Senator Bob Corker’s office, Representative John Duncan’s office, Friends of the Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, and AMEC Environment & Infrastructure Inc. to break ground on the new Collections Preservation Center at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee in November 2014. This public-private partnership is made possible through generous donations by Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association. NPS photo.
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Denver Service Center
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Accessibility The Denver Service Center is dedicated to making all DSC-managed projects universally designed and seamlessly accessible to visitors and staff with disabilities. All planning, design, and construction projects meet and exceed the requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standards, section 504 (program access), and section 508 (electronic and information technology access) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To meet the requirements of Executive Order 13548, “Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities,” the Denver Service Center assures visitor use areas and employee areas are accessible and provide connectivity to amenities so that employees with disabilities can fully participate in all programs.
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Denver Service Center
Sustainability The Denver Service Center is committed to complying with and exceeding the requirements of Executive Order 13514, “Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance,” and other federal sustainability requirements. All new DSCmanaged building construction and major renovations meet federal sustainability requirements, and all new buildings larger than 5,000 square feet are designed and constructed to meet U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards for certification. The Denver Service Center maintains the NPS Project Sustainability Checklist, which assists all project managers in tracking and analyzing sustainability standards throughout the design and construction management process. The NPS Project Sustainability Checklist (http://www.nps.gov/dscw/publicforms.htm) is used for both building and nonbuilding projects, and it is based on the LEED green building certification program, which highlights credit categories aligned with federal requirements. The checklist tracks progress throughout the project life cycle.
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
CityArchRiver The $380 million CityArchRiver project aims to reinvigorate downtown St. Louis by connecting the downtown area to the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River. The project is being funded from donations from the CityArchRiver Foundation and a tax proposition approved by St. Louis voters in 2013. Great Rivers Greenway is serving as the steward of the taxpayers investment in this project. The Denver Service Center is working with CityArchRiver Foundation, Great Rivers Greenway, Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and the NPS Midwest Regional Office to manage the components of the project that are located on the grounds of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The first of these projects, the $13.5 million renovation of the south grounds of the Gateway Arch, broke ground in late September 2014. The project will transform the 26-acre grounds south of the Gateway Arch by renovating reflecting ponds, adding new accessible pathways from the Gateway Arch to the riverfront, replacing soil and trees across the entire site, and making other landscaping improvements.
The grounds surrounding the Gateway Arch, part of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, will be relandscaped as part of the CityArchRiver project in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. This project is being funded through generous donations from the CityArchRiver Foundation and a tax proposition approved by St. Louis voters in 2013. Great Rivers Greenway serves as the steward of the taxpayers’ investment in this project. Photo by Tom Nagel, CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation.
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President’s Park
White House Visitor Center The Denver Service Center managed the architectural design and construction portions of the project to renovate the White House Visitor Center. This public-private partnership project was made possible through a generous $7.5 million donation from the White House Historical Association. The $12.6 million renovation project included energy-efficient and accessibility upgrades, while keeping the historic fabric of the building intact. The project team worked closely with the National Center on Accessibility to achieve an enhanced visitor experience for all visitors. Energy-efficient upgrades include a new entrance vestibule that greatly reduces temperature and humidity variations inside the building, low flow faucets and toilets, and an exhibit design that uses LED lighting and limits power usage by audio visual systems. The 16,000-square-foot space was transformed by the new design of the exhibits, which was managed by Harpers Ferry Center. The exhibits modernize the visitor center and engage new and younger audiences. More than 90 White House artifacts are now displayed publicly inside the visitor center. The remodeled White House Visitor Center opened to the public in September 2014 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Chairman of the White House Historical Association Fred Ryan, and NPS Director Jon Jarvis.
First Lady Michelle Obama cuts a ribbon to open the White House Visitor Center with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Chairman of the White House Historical Association Fred Ryan on September 10, 2014. Photo by Tami Heilemann, Department of the Interior.
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Denver Service Center
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Olympic National Park
Elwha River Restoration The last of the remaining section of the Glines Canyon Dam was demolished with a final blast at 4:12 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, enabling the Elwha River to run free for the first time in 100 years. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams is a significant accomplishment in the overall restoration project, but there is still much work ahead for the Elwha River Restoration project. The Denver Service Center began working on the Elwha River Restoration with Olympic National Park and the Pacific West Region in 2007. Removal of the Elwha Dam and the Glines Canyon Dam began in September 2011. This complex multiyear project is the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States and the second largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the National Park Service. Seven salmon species and more than 70 miles of river habitat will be restored once dam demolition is complete. The $325 million restoration program consists of constructing two new water treatment facilities, removal of the two dams, protecting private homes from flooding, improving treatment for industrial water users to accommodate high sediment loads, constructing a new tribal fish hatchery, managing sediment displacement, performing revegetation, and restoring fish habitat.
The Glines Canyon Dam, shown here, was demolished with a final blast on August 26, 2014. This marked the completion of the dam removal project on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park in Washington. Although the dam removal is complete, there is more work to be done on the overall Elwha River Restoration project. NPS photo.
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Denver Service Center
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Planning
Factory Falls at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania. NPS photo.
Planning The Planning Division provides a collaborative framework for informed decision making that advances stewardship of resources and visitor experience throughout the National Park Service.
Figure 8. DSC Planning Funding by Fund Source, FY 2014 (in millions)
The Planning Division produces a wide range of planning documents, including foundation documents, site-specific plans, general management plans, comprehensive river management plans, wilderness stewardship plans, special resource studies, and commercial services plans. In FY 2014, the division managed 254 projects valued at more than $7 million with a 95% obligation rate. The projects represent work in about one-third of the national park system units. Figure 8 shows the total funds managed and obligated by the Planning Division in FYÂ 2014. Since 2008, the division has continued to expand the types of products and services it offers to better meet the needs of parks and regions. The Planning Division products and services catalog can be found at http://www.nps.gov/dsc/docs/2014Products%20 Catalogue-SEPT-2014.pdf
$4.03
$1.92
$0.21
$0.27
$0.76
Total: $7.19 million Unit Management Plan / Foundations Special Resource Study Environmental Quality Division Long-Range Transportation Plan Park Direct Charge
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Denver Service Center
Foundation Documents
Publications Branch
The National Park Service Planning Program is operating under a new park planning framework that includes the development of a foundation document for every park unit in the national park system, an element of the vision derived from the Second Century Report, the NPS Call to Action, and the NPS director. The foundation describes the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, interpretive themes, and an assessment of future park planning needs. DSC Planning firmly supports Director Jarvis’s commitment to complete foundation documents for all park units by 2016.
The Publications Branch supports the Denver Service Center, the regions, and NPS national program offices by providing editorial, geographic information system (GIS), and graphic design services. Within the past three years, the division has created a nationally recognized center of expertise in GIS within park planning, as well as within other divisions and programs. GIS is also spearheading the park atlas program, which is a component of the foundation document effort.
At the end of FY 2014, 131 foundation documents had been signed by regional directors; another 68 are in progress, with 144 new starts planned in FY 2015. 81 foundation documents were completed in FY 2014. The program is on target to have foundation documents completed for all park units by August 25, 2016.
The branch serves as the DSC liaison for print production services provided by the Government Printing Office. The branch’s visual information specialists have contributed to the ability of the National Park Service to effectively reach diverse and geographically dispersed audiences by advancing media technology to include multilingual video, Internet, radio, and social media.
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Visitor Use Management The visitor use management team provided technical support to more than 50 projects in FY 2014, including a corridor management plan in Grand Teton National Park, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways General Management Plan, and monitoring protocol development at Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The visitor use management team has also been providing support to many foundation projects across the country. In collaboration with staff from Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Northeast Region, the team kicked off the first visitor use management plan under the new NPS planning framework. The plan will include a comprehensive analysis of visitor use issues and will incorporate best practices for managing visitor use to achieve and maintain desired conditions. The plan will also help assess the appropriateness of current and new visitor opportunities (including commercial activities) and consider the trade-offs between different management strategies. Working with the NPS Social Science Program, the visitor use management team helps lead the development of a Social Science Strategy for the National Park Service. The strategy will establish a vision for the discipline of social science within the National Park Service over the next ten years and will guide the coordination of social science efforts servicewide.
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Denver Service Center
In addition, the team has continued to provide support on several projects with the WASO Facilities Planning Branch on the integration of visitor experience and long-range transportation planning. In 2014, the team helped complete a reference and communication tool, titled “Visitor Experience: An Overview for Long Range Transportation Planning,� that will serve as guidance to planning teams. The team also initiated collaboration with the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program to help support their work on Healthy Recreation and Healthy Communities projects. The team is assisting RTCA by providing technical expertise and planning support to develop project tracking tools, staff and partner trainings, best management practices, and other resources for integrating health into RTCA project work. The team also continues to provide leadership and technical support to the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council and the Planning, Environment, and Public Comment Advisory Council. Additionally, a variety of visitor use-related research projects were developed and facilitated through the Office of Management and Budget approval process by the visitor use management team.
Climate Change
Accessibility
In FY 2014, the Planning Division continued to integrate climate change policy, science, and analysis into park planning documents such as general management plans, foundation documents, and other types of plans. Staff assisted in the development of servicewide guidance on how to incorporate climate change into ongoing general management plans. DSC Planning staff are also beginning to incorporate “climate smart” principles into earlier phases of planning cycles, such as during alternatives development, on several large projects. Staff also helped lead and participated in a Climate Change and Planning Working Group consisting of DSC Planning, Climate Change Response Program, Washington Office Park Planning and Special Studies, and Environmental Quality Division team members. Their work, which continues into FY 2015, is focused on developing guidance about how to incorporate climate change into planning at all levels across the National Park Service.
In FY 2014, the Planning Division continued to integrate accessibility policy, guidelines, and standards into park planning documents. This work was done with support and collaboration with Design and Construction, Transportation, and the National Accessibility Program. The DSC Planning Division has identified an accessibility team lead for the division who is focused on the incorporation of accessibility in products including, but not limited to, foundations, accessibility self-evaluation and transition plans, development concept plans, and services provided at public meetings and in outreach materials. The Planning Division also heads up a DSC-wide Accessibility Planning Group that discusses accessibility issues and how to create awareness of the need for accessibility in the National Park Service. The Denver Service Center supported the Pacific West Region and Midwest Region with the development of a toolkit and facilitation services that assist parks with accessibility assessments and transition plans. The planning staff designed and created accessible brochures for ten parks in the Intermountain Region. The division also assisted with the National Accessibility 5-Year Strategic Plan and with the NPS Service Wide Accessibility Coordinating Committee.
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Final General Management Plan In December 2014, Ozark National Scenic Riverways released its final general management plan / environmental impact statement. The Denver Service Center had been assisting with the plan since 2006. Throughout the planning process, the National Park Service received more than 10,000 public comments—3,000 of which were received during public review of the draft plan. The final plan represents careful consideration of the wide range of public comments received. The final general management plan establishes a new long-term vision for Ozark National Scenic Riverways. The plan sets forth a balanced approach for protecting the many distinctive natural and cultural resources along the riverways, while also providing visitors with diverse and unique opportunities for high-quality land- and water-based experiences. The final plan was signed by the NPS Midwest Regional Director in January 2015.
Cover of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways Final General Management Plan / Environmental Impact Statement. Original artwork by Phil Thys, DSC Planning Division.
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Denver Service Center
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Transportation
Trail construction at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. NPS photo.
Transportation Figure 9. Transportation Division Contract Obligations by Funding Type, FY 2014 (in millions)
$2.58
$0.13 $0.34 $3.66 $14.97
$0.24
Total: $21.92 million Park Direct Charge FLTP Roads and Parkways FLTP Congressionally Mandated Roads FLTP Alternative Transportation FLTP Long-Term Planning Maintenance / Repair Rehab / Facility Condition Assessment FLTP - Federal Lands Transportation Program
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Denver Service Center
The Transportation Division provides project management, landscape architecture, engineering, and natural and cultural resource expertise to transportation-related projects across the National Park Service. The division’s primary role is to work directly with regions and parks in support of their transportationrelated needs. That work includes assisting with Federal Highway Administration delivered projects, providing added capacity for contracting support, transportation planning, design development, and revegetation planning and implementation. The division houses an experienced cadre of facilitators who lead workshops, value analysis and choosing by advantage processes, and a variety of planning and design charrettes to assist park managers in solving their transportation challenges. The Transportation Division revegetation expertise is relied upon servicewide to assist the National Park Service in meeting its management policy goals by reestablishing native plant communities in areas of parks disturbed by construction activity. The division also houses compliance expertise for issues related to natural and cultural resource compliance on projects within the national park system to ensure that NPS commitments and the NPS mission are properly considered when transportation improvements are proposed. The Transportation Division provides expert technical guidance and assistance through the design process and quality assurance for accessible design proposals on all projects.
In FY 2014, division staff worked on 278 projects valued at more than $200 million, the majority funded through the NPS Federal Lands Transportation Program. Of that total, approximately $21.9 million was delivered directly by the Denver Service Center, see figure 9. The rest of the work was accomplished in coordination with the Federal Lands Highway Divisions of the Federal Highway Administration. In addition, the transportation division also supported $30 million in Hurricane Sandy Recovery projects funded through the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program.
Sustainability The Transportation Division is leading and managing the development of a sustainable transportation tool, known as the Innovative and Sustainable Transportation Evaluation Process (INSTEP). INSTEP addresses the National Park Service’s unique regulatory framework, mission, and transportation goals. The process encourages the use of sustainable transportation techniques; educates and allows sharing of best sustainable practices, techniques, and ideas; measures a project’s progress, and tracks and records sustainable transportation achievements; and challenges teams to focus on sustainable outcomes and share ideas beyond the National Park Service.
Transportation Research Board The Transportation Division provides NPS representation on the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Transportation Needs of National Parks and Public Lands (ADA40). The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Academies of Sciences, which serves as an independent adviser to the federal government and others on scientific and technical questions of importance. The ADA40 Committee serves as a national
forum for transportation issues and public use as they relate to the management and conservation of the natural, cultural, and scenic values of the national parks and other federal public lands. In September 2014, NPS Director Jon Jarvis was the keynote speaker at a gathering of more than 100 transportation professionals at the TRB Conference on Transportation and Federal Lands: Enhancing Access, Mobility, Sustainability, and Connections. Director Jarvis spoke about the importance of connecting our parks to younger and diverse populations, and the need to collaborate with partners on transportation solutions. Several DSC Transportation Division projects were highlighted at this conference as well as at the TRB Annual Meeting, which brings together more than 12,000 transportation professionals from across the world.
Transportation Scholars Program The Transportation Scholars Program is a program funded by the National Park Foundation, through generous support from The Motorola Solutions Foundation, that selects emerging transportation professionals to work side-by-side with NPS staff on park-specific transportation issues. In coordination with the National Park Foundation and the Washington Office Transportation Program, the DSC Transportation Division hosted and facilitated a four-day orientation session in Denver and a field trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. In FY 2014, five parks were chosen to receive Transportation Scholars: Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, and Natchez Trace Parkway in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The program is a partnership among National Park Service, National Park Foundation, Eno Transportation Foundation, Federal Highway Administration, and Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center. Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Gulf Islands National Seashore
Pensacola Bay Ferry and Shuttle Transportation Plan The DSC Transportation Division is working with the City of Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Escambia County partners, and staff at Gulf Islands National Seashore to develop a ferry and shuttle transportation plan for alternative access to Gulf Islands National Seashore. Currently, visitors predominately use personal automobiles to access the Fort Pickens area, located on the Santa Rosa Island unit within the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Envisioned nearly 40 years ago, ferry boat access is being developed to link the historic Fort Pickens to the communities of Pensacola and Pensacola Beach. The proposed ferry service to Fort Pickens will provide alternative transportation to visit the park and will present enhanced waterside visitor experience opportunities with on board interpretative activities. The ferry service will also be a complement to local tourism among the park’s gateway communities. The planning team is currently completing the feasibility study and developing an environmental assessment for the Fort Pickens ferry landing area and associated improvements for the complementing shuttle service within the historic district. The plan is expected to be complete in 2015 and ferry service start-up in 2017.
The Denver Service Center is working with the City of Pensacola, Pensacola Beach, Escambia County partners, and staff at Gulf Islands National Seashore to develop a ferry and shuttle transportation plan for alternative access to Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Fort Pickens ferry landing area is shown here. NPS photo.
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NPS Congestion Management Toolkit
Staff from the DSC Transportation Division and Washington Office Transportation Branch worked together in FY 2014 to develop a Congestion Management Toolkit. This resource is designed to provide technical assistance to park, region, and DSC staff with congestion management problems. The toolkit uses a 7-step process to explore and resolve congestion based on adaptive management. The step-by-step process is a problem-first approach to dealing with congestion. The right types of transportation and congestion solutions can often help to address the demands of visitor access, while enhancing visitor experience and protecting natural and cultural resources. The 59 different tools can be used separately or in combinations. Each tool has examples, emphasis areas, pros and cons, implementation time frames, up-front and long-term costs, performance standards, and additional resources. The toolkit can be found at: http://www.nps.gov/transportation/ pdfs/NPS-CMS_Toolkit.pdf
The NPS Congestion Management Toolkit aims to aid park management with traffic congestion, as shown here at Zion National Park in Utah. NPS photo.
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Gateway National Recreation Area
Fort Tilden Beach Fort Tilden Beach at Gateway National Recreation Area reopened to the public in April 2014 for the first time since its closure following damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy. The storm leveled twenty-fivefoot-high sand dunes along the beach and destroyed a one-half-mile section of Fort Tilden On-Shore Road. Wind and water damage also exposed the bulkhead and scattered large pieces of debris around the beach. The DSC Transportation Division contracted and managed a beach clean-up project to remove the half-mile section of damaged road and all debris from the beach, and cut exposed ends of rusting steel cables along the bulkhead, making the beach safe for visitors. The contractor completed all work prior to piping plover nesting season and the busy summer visitation season. Fort Tilden is a popular beach and fishing spot on the Rockaway Peninsula, and it is very important in terms of New York City military history.
Fort Tilden Beach at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York was closed after damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy. The Denver Service Center worked with the Federal Highway Administration to contract a beach clean-up project. The beach was reopened to the public in April 2014. NPS photo.
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Information Management
Trees surround the Moose-Wilson Road at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. NPS photo.
Information Management The Information Management Division strives to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of each Denver Service Center project through technological innovation and by providing employees with the tools and information needed to ensure success. The Information Management Division supports DSC projects and servicewide initiatives in project management control, document and records management, web design and maintenance, digital printing, information systems, employee development, and distance learning.
Providing Information
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Systems
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New Media
The Denver Service Center relies on a number of state-of-the-art system tools for accountability and efficiency in its operations and uses the Microsoft Project Server to provide accurate and timely reports for project work. In FY 2014, almost 1,500 DSCmanaged projects were maintained in Microsoft Project and SharePoint sites, including Panorama, which provides a dashboard view of all DSC projects and is accessible to NPS employees to ensure project transparency. The DSC Workflows website (http://www.nps.gov/dsc/workflows) provides guidance for architectural / engineering and construction firms working on NPS projects and is also used by NPS employees to access clear and timely guidance for project completions.
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Denver Service Center
Employee Development The Denver Service Center is committed to employee development, training, and certification for its professional workforce. DSC employees are engaged in servicewide courses, acquire professional certifications and accreditations, participate in supervisory and leadership training, computer training, and individual developmental training. In FY 2014, the Denver Service Center held two trainings in construction management for its project teams. In FY 2014, 36 DSC project managers were trained in the Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers (FACPPM) curriculum. The FAC-PPM certification is being mandated for Department of the Interior capital investment projects that are reported in the Electronic Capital Planning and Investment Control system. 22 contracting services staff were trained in Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting (FAC-C). During FY 2014, DSC programs were supported by 62 certified project managers, 32 employees trained or accredited in U.S. LEED速 standards, 149 contracting officer representatives, and 17 warranted contracting officers.
Technical Information Center
Library
The Technical Information Center (TIC) is the central servicewide information management system for all NPS-generated planning, design, and construction drawings and documents and related technical report documentation. The center provides research, discovery, and archiving assistance to parks and regions.
The DSC Library provides reference, cataloging, and loan services to Denver-based NPS employees. The library also responds to reference and loan requests from NPS employees servicewide. In addition, the library serves the public by lending materials to academic, government, public, and corporate libraries. In FY 2014, the library assisted 28 park units or programs with cataloging, interlibrary loans, and consultation services. Nearly 2,204 cataloging and 564 circulation activities were completed in FY 2014. The NPS Library catalog is available for searching at http://www. library.nps.gov/.
The Technical Information Center served 442 parks, regions, and program units with cataloging and scanning in FY 2014. The TIC staff added several collections for electronic document and records management including drawings from National Capital Region and Harpers Ferry Center. Project information files were also added to the collection from DSC Transportation. Administrative records were created for DSC Planning projects for Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Yosemite National Park. The Technical Information Center is the oldest information system in the National Park Service, and its collection is available to NPS employees through eTIC for ready access at http://etic.nps.gov. eTIC is based on a “Google-like” search process. There are 3,722 registered NPS users in eTIC. More than 52,000 searches were conducted on eTIC during FY 2014. TIC staff also delivered over 16,000 documents and drawings through the eTIC website. The Technical Information Center is also responsible for processing Freedom of Information Requests (FOIA) for the Denver Service Center. TIC handled 21 requests and released over 6,000 pages of responsive documents to the public.
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Project Management Support Statistics Projects tracked in Microsoft Project Server Projects tracked in SharePoint Number of users accessing DSC SharePoint
1,478 273 6,000
FY 2014 TIC Statistics Park Units assisted by TIC 442 Registered users in eTIC 3,722
16,000 Searches in eTIC 52,000 Freedom of Information Act requests 21
eTIC views and downloads
Employee Development Contracting Officer Representatives (FAC-COR) 149 Certified Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM) Project Management Professionals (PMP) LEED Accreditations
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Historic drawing of Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, Ohio. TIC archives.
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Denver Service Center
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Budget and Financial Performance
A beaver pokes its head out of the water at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Photo by D. Lehle.
Budget and Financial Performance The Denver Service Center is funded through appropriated base funding for its line-item construction, partnership mega-project execution, and the NPS Technical Information Center. The Denver Service Center also receives additional project-based funding through other sources, including the unit management planning program, Federal Lands Transportation Program, Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, and individual refundable and reimbursable projects. In FY 2014, DSC operational budgets totaled $36.4 million, including $17.6 million in base expenditures. Figure 10 shows DSCappropriated base funding for FY 2011 through FYÂ 2014. Figure 11 shows a breakdown by funding source for total DSC expenditures for FY 2014, excluding construction contract obligations.
Figure 10. Appropriated DSC Base Funding, FY 2011–2014 (in millions) 20
$18.8
$17.8
$16.4
$17.6
Figure 11. Total DSC Expenditures, FY 2014 (in millions) $3.7 $4.2 $17.6
$4.9
$6.0 Total: $36.4 million Denver Service Center Base
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Federal Lands Transportation Program Planning FY 2011
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FY 2012
Denver Service Center
FY 2013
FY 2014
Park Direct Charge Sandy Hurricane Recovery
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2015 and Beyond A flower at Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri. NPS photo.
2015 and Beyond As the National Park Service readies for its Centennial in 2016, the Denver Service Center will support the ongoing efforts to prepare for a second century of stewardship and engagement. We take seriously our role in building and maintaining park resources in a resilient and sustainable manner, and we are continuing to integrate accessibility into all aspects of our work, including guidelines, park planning, and design and construction. We will continue our work with parks and partners, utilizing our professional and technical expertise to support the park, project, and partners. Some of our current partnership projects include the CityArchRiver 2015 project at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the National Mall Implementation Plan, and Flight 93 National Memorial. The Denver Service Center will continue to carry out the mission of the National Park Service to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. We welcome your input and look forward to your continued support of the National Park Service.
The Denver Service Center continues to provide project management and contracting services for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. The Flight 93 National Memorial has been developed in cooperation with Flight 93 Memorial staff, the NPS Northeast Regional Office, the National Park Foundation, Families of Flight 93, Friends of Flight 93, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Flight 93 Advisory Commission, and many other stakeholders. The visitor center, seen in the background, is expected to be complete by September 11, 2015. NPS photo.
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Denver Service Center
Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report
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Contact Us Denver Service Center
Web Links
12795 W. Alameda Parkway P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225-0287 303-969-2100 dsc_director@nps.gov
National Park Service http://www.nps.gov Denver Service Center http://www.nps.gov/dsc Denver Service Center Twitter http://twitter.com/DenSrvcCtrNPS DSC Workflows http://www.nps.gov/dsc/workflows Planning, Environment, and Public Comment System http://parkplanning.nps.gov DSC Technical Information Center / Intranet Website http://etic.nps.gov
BACK COVER PHOTO: Aniakchak Wild and Scenic River at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The Denver Service Center completed a Wild and Scenic River Plan for the Aniakchak in December 2014. NPS photo.
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Denver Service Center
As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historic places; and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging stewardship and citizen participation in their care. The department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration. DSC 900 128375 - April 2015
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Denver Service Center Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Report